Electronic pipettes comprising a user interface with a display for displaying information and data are known from prior art. Generally, these known user interfaces also include buttons, switches or other kind of means for making selections, inputting data, browsing menus and/or activating selected pipetting operations with the help of the display.
Publication WO 2005/079989 discloses an electronic pipette comprising a control system and a user interface with a display and inputting/selection means, where the control system comprises at least two pipetting setting arrays, each setting array comprising at least one setting that acts over the entire volume range and that can be changed separately for each array of settings, whereby a desired setting array can be selected for use in each case. The setting arrays can be saved and named as separate profiles, for example, for different users. The setting arrays and profiles can also be equipped with a locking function, with a password protection, for example, which prevents unauthorized use and/or changes to the settings.
One known type of user interface is known from U.S. Publication No. 2009/0074622 A1, which user interface is menu-driven and allows the user to program pipetting operations and/or applications having a plurality of pipetting actions or steps.
The use of electronic pipettes is increasing, but even though their advantages, such as time savings, decrease in repetitions, etc., most of the pipettes presently sold are still manual pipettes. One reason for this is the higher price of the electronic pipettes, but ease of use of the manual pipettes has also significant effect.
Even though the user interfaces of the electronic pipettes have developed greatly in recent years, they are still quite inflexible and not very well adaptable to user needs. Therefore, most of the users still use manual pipettes or use only portion of the actions and possibilities provided by the electronic pipettes.
Electronic pipettes are also generally used by different users and in different applications. Due to the complex user interface, many users do not save the settings but change them manually when required. This continuous editing of the settings increases the possibility of editing and programming errors, which increases the risk of pipetting errors, especially if the user does not notice that the application or action has been modified by other user or even by him-/herself.